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Greenhouse gas emissions from semi-aerobic bioreactor landfills with different vent-pipe diameters

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Abstract

The emission patterns of three greenhouse gasses (GHGs), viz. CH4, CO2, and N2O from landfills, were examined on a lab scale. Three simulated semi-aerobic bioreactor landfills (SABL1, SABL2, SABL3), with respective vent-pipe inner diameters (φ) of 25, 50, and 75 mm, were used to investigate their effect on the greenhouse effect (GHE) during the municipal solid waste (MSW) stabilization process. We found that the vent-pipe φ influenced both MSW degradation and GHG emissions, increasing the vent-pipe φ which improved the removal of carbon and nitrogen-based pollutants. The GHG emissions were 364, 356, and 309 kg CO2 equivalents per ton of MSW from the SABL2, SABL1, and SABL3, respectively, during the operation of 465 days. Of the three GHGs, CH4 influenced the GHE the most, contributing 72.53%, 79.17%, and 71.42% in SABL1, SABL2, and SABL3, respectively. In the same sequence, CO2 (14.87%, 14.06%, and 21.9%) and N2O (12.6%, 6.77%, and 6.69%) were the second and third contributors to the GHE, respectively. Considering the rapidly MSW stabilization and the mitigation of GHG emissions, a vent pipe with φ of 75 mm in the SABL column (φ of 800 mm) was suggested. Moreover, the GHG mitigation in the SABL should be implemented by prioritizing CH4 collection and oxidation. The results provided a technical guidance for GHG mitigation in MSW management.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2020YFG0064).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 611756, People’s Republic of China

    Guobin Jiang, Dan Liu, Weiming Chen & Qibin Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Zhiyong Han

Authors
  1. Guobin Jiang
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  2. Dan Liu
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  3. Weiming Chen
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  4. Zhiyong Han
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  5. Qibin Li
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Contributions

Guobin Jiang wrote the main part of the manuscript and took part in the planning and execution of the experiments. Qibin Li contributed to the central idea and took part in the planning of the experiments. Dan Liu contributed to refining the ideas and finalizing this paper. Weiming Chen analyzed the data and assisted in the leachate characteristic determination experiments. Zhiyong Han participated in the coordination of the study and reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Qibin Li.

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Jiang, G., Liu, D., Chen, W. et al. Greenhouse gas emissions from semi-aerobic bioreactor landfills with different vent-pipe diameters. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 17563–17572 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-12047-6

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